News

We are looking forward to some exciting days at the SEPAWA CONGRESS 2026 in Berlin from 14-16 October 2026 where the European detergents, cosmetics and perfumery industry will meet. Our colleague Andrea Brunswik-Titze will be there representing the Hydrotox GmbH; please do get in touch if you would like to find out more about our services in the fields of ecotoxicology and biodegradability.

SEPAWA CONGRESS: https://www.sepawa.com/congress/en/

Contact Hydrotox: https://hydrotox.de/en/contact

After moving into our new office space in July 2026, the rooms that have become vacant with an area of 100 m² have been newly equipped as laboratory. With new flooring, an upgraded exhaust ventilation system and a gas supply, nothing now stands in the way of establishing our in-house analytical capabilities. The analytical equipment will be delivered in the next days, so that we can establish the substance-specific analyses required for ecotoxicology testing using HPLC-MS and GC-MS. We expect to be able to offer you in-house accompanying analyses from the start of the new year.

We offer testing services to evaluate the efficacy of algicides as required under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation. We perform laboratory studies using various species of algae under different test conditions, tailored to your product’s specific label claims. Whether for biocidal products for swimming pools, garden ponds, etc. (PT2) or cooling water systems (PT11), we design the studies based on international standards for your specific application.

Also see: https://hydrotox.de/en/services/laboratory-services/efficacy-tests

After very successful presentations of Hydrotox at the past SETAC Europe Meetings in Vienna and Maastricht with our own booth, we have booked now our booth for the upcoming conference from 25 - 29 April 2027 in Geneva. We are very much looking forward to an exciting exchange on the topics like biodegradability, aquatic ecotoxicity and genotoxicity as well as on special studies such as efficacy studies for algaecides in the context of the Biocidal Products Regulation. Visit us at our booth no. 67 right next to SETAC Square at the entrance to the exhibition hall. Abstracts can already be submitted. The deadline for submission is November 10, 2026!

Website: SETAC Europe 37th Annual Meeting

Contact Hydrotox: https://hydrotox.de/en/contact

Please make a note of 25 and 26 February 2027. On these dates, an international workshop will be held with representatives from research, industry and public authorities, at which the results of the UBA project "Round Robin test in preparation for the consolidation of tests for ready biodegradability in accordance with OECD guidelines" (project code: 3724657090) will be presented. As well as presenting the results of the ring test carried out as part of the project, the workshop will also offer the opportunity for technical exchange and on further aspects of the process of a proposed revision of the OECD test methods for assessing ready biodegradability. We would be delighted to welcome you to the Federal Press Office in Berlin on these dates! Find out more about the project, share your experiences and join the discussion with us. Further details on the programme and registration will be available shortly.

See also: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/service/dates/oecd-round-robin-test-on-ready-biodegradability

Hydrotox Laboratory for Ecotoxicology and Water Protection will participate in UMWELT 2026, the joint annual conference of SETAC-GLB and the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, and will also contribute to the program: In a presentation, Marie Canon, Head of Biodegradation and Ecotoxicology Testing, will report on the "Schwammstadt" (Sponge City) research project and the ecotoxicological assessment of construction products (A3.5), and a poster will present findings on the biodegradability and ecotoxicity of biocide-free antifouling coatings from the BioShip project (P5.6).

UMWELT 2026 will take place 02-04 September 2026, at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Essen. This year’s theme is "Between Crisis and Change: Pollutants, Health, and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene." The event will be held in German. All details about UMWELT 2026, including the full program, can be found at the following link:

>>> UMWELT 2026 <<<

Thursday, 03 September 2026
Session A3 "Ökotoxikologie & Stressökologie I" (Ecotoxicology & Stress Ecology I)
16:35 - 16:50 Uhr:
"Ermittlung ökotoxikologisch unbedenklicher Bauprodukte für Gründächer zur Umsetzung der Schwammstadt" (A3.5) (Identification of Ecotoxicologically Safe Building Products for Green Roofs to Implement the “Sponge City” Concept)
Marie Canon

We would, of course, be delighted to get to know you or see you again in Essen, and we are already looking forward to stimulating discussions. If you would like to schedule an appointment in advance or have any other questions or requests, please feel free to contact us!

CONTAKT

As of 1 July 2026, Hydrotox Labor für Ökotoxikologie und Gewässerschutz GmbH was able to lease additional space totaling 170 m² in its existing building in Freiburg. As a result, the laboratory space will be expanded over the next few weeks by approximately 30 %, while the office space was nearly doubled immediately. With this expansion, Hydrotox - after more than 30 years in the same premises - now has the opportunity to position itself for the future, serve its customers in an even more service-oriented manner, and increase its testing capacity.

If you are interested in taking a look at the new space during an in-person meeting in Freiburg, please feel free to contact us - we would love to show you around! CONTACT

The Hydrotox Labor für Ökotoxikologie und Gewässerschutz GmbH team was represented with a booth at the annual meeting of SETAC Europe (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) in Maastricht, the Netherlands, from May 17-21, 2026, together with colleagues from Dr. Brill Regulatory GmbH. Among the more than 2,500 participants from more than 60 countries, we were able to meet many of our long-standing customers and colleagues, but also make many new contacts.

The scientific program was again very comprehensive with several thousand posters and up to ten parallel sessions and included topics such as persistence assessment, animal-free replacement methods, endocrine effects and regulatory issues, which were particularly interesting for us.

Elena Perabo gave a presentation on our project on the sponge city, which is about to be completed, entitled "Sustainable green roofs for the implementation of the sponge city: Determination of ecotoxicologically safe construction products for green roofs", which met with great interest. Andrea Brunswik-Titze, together with Ulrich Jöhncke and colleagues from the Federal Environment Agency, presented a poster with the titel "Round Robin Test: consolidation of OECD ready biodegradability tests", which was also presented in a Poster Corner. It illustrated the actual status of our project to organize that round robin test. Furthermore, Andrea Brunswik-Titze, Jessica Bühler and Marie Canon presented a poster on methodological approaches in the testing of the biodegradability of polymers entitled "Biodegradability of polymers in aquatic test systems: ISO 14852 - feasibility study for different concentrations of test item and inoculum". In a third poster, first results of the project on the assessment of endocrine effects induced by construction products were presented with the title "Assessment of endocrine effects of construction products in the environment" by Elena Perabo and Martina Springmann together with Peter Behnisch from BioDetection Systems in Amsterdam. And in a fourth poster, Heike Schimmelpfennig, Andrea Brunswik-Titze, and Elena Perabo presented a comparison of exposure models used to simulate the entry of substances into various environmental compartments within the risk assessments under the legal frameworks of biocides, plant protection products, and chemicals under REACH, titled "Comparison of exposure modelling tools used in different regulatory areas."

We are very happy about the successful participation in this conference and look forward to next year, when the conference will take place in Geneva.

If you are interested in learning more about any of the topics presented in Maastricht or about the other services offered by our institutes, we would be happy to assist you! Contact: HERE

The SETAC Europe Annual Meeting is an annual conference of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe that brings together scientists, policy makers and industry representatives to discuss current issues in the fields of environmental toxicology, ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry.

Main features of the conference:

• Topics: Environmental risk research, life cycle assessment, regulatory developments and scientific policy advice
• Formats: Scientific sessions, plenary lectures, training sessions and networking events
• Participants: 2,000-2,500 experts from over 60 countries

The conference serves as a platform for the exchange of new findings and promotes cooperation between research, industry and authorities.

Link: SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting

For the economic development agency Hamburg Invest, Dr. Florian H. H. Brill is the "Innovator of the Month". We are, of course, delighted to receive this award! Read more about it in Hamburg Invest's LinkedIn post - here: LINK.

Hamburg Invest is the one-stop agency for relocation and investment in Hamburg as well as the main partner of Hamburg’s business sector on all topics relating to business development. On their international LinkedIn profile, Hamburg Invest highlights innovation topics in industry clusters, demonstrates the future attractiveness of Hamburg as a business location, and seeks active exchange with decision-makers and experts from all over the world. In addition, Hamburg Invest presents exciting companies and innovation projects from Hamburg and acts as an interface to local institutions and associations.

"Experimental approaches to data generation for REACH compliance of multi-walled carbon nanotubes: environmental fate" is the title of the publication that appeared in the journal "Environmental Science: Nano", Issue 3/2026. Stefan Gartiser, Senior Scientist at Hydrotox Labor für Ökotoxikologie und Gewässerschutz GmbH, is one of the contributing authors. A PDF download of the publication is available on the Hydrotox website - HERE PDF - as well as online HERE (HTML).

A research article titled "Testing the biodegradability of difficult compounds: a future challenge for OECD/ISO standardization" has been published in the journal "Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology", Volume 110, article number 122, (2026). Among the authors is Stefan Gartiser, Senior Scientist at Hydrotox Labor für Ökotoxikologie und Gewässerschutz GmbH. A PDF version of the publication is available for download on the Hydrotox website - HERE PDF - as well as online HERE (Springer Nature Link).

Again with strong participation from the DR. BRILL INSTITUTES Group, the SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting will take place in Maastricht from May 17-21, 2026, under the theme "Embrace the Outlier: In Science, Regulations, and Networks." Dr. Brill Regulatory Services GmbH and Hydrotox GmbH will both be involved, both in terms of personnel and content – and, following last year's great success, we will once again have our own exhibition stand!

Our commitment in detail:

Exhibition booth - Booth No. 37: Hydrotox and Dr. Brill Regulatory Services will once again be represented with a joint booth at the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting.

Presentation title: Assessment of Endocrine Effects of Construction Products in the Environment
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 6.04 - Endocrine Disruption: Scientific and Regulatory Challenges
Presentation day: Monday, 18 May 2026
Authors: Elena Perabo, Martina Springmann - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br. 
Co-Author: Dr. Peter Behnisch - BioDetection Systems b.v., Amsterdam

Presentation title: Biodegradability of Polymers in Aquatic Test Systems: ISO 14852 - Feasibility Study for Different Concentrations of Test Item and Inoculum
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 3.18 - Microplastics Research: Beyond Fear-Mongering, Towards Trustworthy Science
Presentation day: Monday, 18 May 2026
Authors: Andrea Brunswik-Titze, Jessica Bühler, Marie Canon - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br., Germany

Presentation title: Sustainable green roofs for the implementation of the sponge city: Determination of ecotoxicologically safe construction products for green roofs
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 3.09 - Environmental Forensics: Tracking Sources and Evaluating the Effects of Chemicals in Urban and Other Environments
Presentation day: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Authors: Elena Perabo, Dr. Christoph Hafner - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br., Germany

Presentation title: Round Robin Test to prepare for consolidation of tests for ready biodegradability according to OECD 301/310
Presentation type: Poster & Poster Corner Discussion
Session title: 3.04 - Advancing Understanding of Environmental Persistence of Chemicals
Presentation day: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Authors:
Ulrich Jöhncke - UBA, Section IV 2.3. Chemicals 
Andrea Brunswik-Titze - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br. 
Stefan Gartiser - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br.
Daniel Sättler - UBA, Section IV 2.3. Chemicals
Monika Ratte - ToxRat Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Alsdorf
Benjamin Daniels - ToxRat Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Alsdorf

Presentation title: Comparison of exposure modelling tools used in different regulatory areas
Presentation type: Poster
Session title: 3.02 - Advances in Exposure Modelling: Closing the Gap between Scientific Innovation and Regulatory Relevance
Presentation day: Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Presenter: Heike Schimmelpfennig

Our colleagues on site are already looking forward to welcoming what we hope will be a large number of our customers, as well as potential new customers, to our attractive booth - Booth No. 37. If you would like to arrange an appointment in advance, please feel free to contact us, e.g., by email here: info@brillhygiene.com

Use your participation in the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting for a personal meeting with us! The following colleagues will be present in Maastricht: From Dr. Brill Regulatory Services Dr. Gunnar Kleist (Director Regulatory Services) and Heike Schimmelpfennig (Senior Manager Regulatory Affairs), as well as from Hydrotox Andrea Brunswik-Titze (Team Leader and Test Leader Biodegradability), Jessica Bühler (Study Director Biodegradation), Elene Perabo (Test Leader Ecotoxicology, Third Party Research Projects) and Dr. Christoph Hafner (Head of GLP Test Facility, Customer Support).

One-day free tickets: Hydrotox has a small number of SETAC one-day free tickets available, which we would be happy to pass on to you. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Christoph Hafner directly by email at hafner@hydrotox.de.

The SETAC Europe Annual Meeting is an annual conference of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe that brings together scientists, policy makers and industry representatives to discuss current issues in the fields of environmental toxicology, ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry.

Main features of the conference:

• Topics: Environmental risk research, life cycle assessment, regulatory developments and scientific policy advice
• Formats: Scientific sessions, plenary lectures, training sessions and networking events
• Participants: 2,000-2,500 experts from over 60 countries

The conference serves as a platform for the exchange of new findings and promotes cooperation between research, industry and authorities.

Link: SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting